Graduate of the Philadelphia jazz-funk scene that in earlier years had produced the likes of Jimmy Smith, Trudy Pitts and Mr. C., Pat Martino, Richard Groove Holmes and a host of others, Hollywood-based guitarist/composer Skip Heller has designed this disc as a salute to his hometown.

Like his friend, pianist Uri Caine, who does something similar to traditional classical music, Heller gives the generic area code 215 organ quartet sounds a POMO fillip, adding elements of rock, blues, Cool jazz and even echoes of Henry Mancini. This is probably most obvious on his jazzy adaptation of the Funeral March from Mahler, Symphony #5, a common Caine trope as well. Besides turning the composers melancholy line into a jumping finger-snapper, he adds a long-lined blues guitar solo that most people would associate with Chicago harp blower Little Walter, whose I Just Keep Lovin Her is covered here as well, rather than Austrian Gustav Mahler.

Throughout the LP-length (less than 35 minutes), foot-tapping CD, the guitarist lets his variegated interests run wild, with tunes as likely to contain a Gamble-Huff horn line (From The Night Before) — played by alto saxophonist Robert Drasnin and trumpeter Dave Alvin — as Chitlin Circuit organ. Of course it helps that his keyboard man, Mike Bolger is as influenced by another Philly resident — Sun Ra — as more conventional organists.

Along the way Heller & Co., are able to overcome the limits of the generic instrumentation. Meydele, for instance, is a sliding, quasi-Kelzmer tune. Meanwhile Emily Remler, named for the late mainstream jazz guitarist, finds subtle, but cushiony organ tones accompanying Hellers single note, Grant Green-like fills, as Drasnin produces feathery alto lines that could have floated straight out of Paul Desmonds horn. Throughout, drummer Howard Greene knows when to lay on the power and when to lay back.

If this sort of jazz was usually played in a cocktail lounge, what would that watering hole be without a lounge lizard? On his two vocals — the Little Walter piece and Cahn and Stynes Time After Time — former Blaster Dave Alvin plays that role to such perfection that you feel like washing the hair gel and tobacco stink off your cat clothes after hearing them.

Theres nothing terribly profound or earth shattering on this disc. Its a relaxed listen, but just subversive enough musically so that you know you havent climbed into the Way-Back machine and returned to the Philly that is no more.